Isn’t that what it’s about? The luck of the draw – Just when you think you have figured out what the ducks (or doves, deer, etc.) are going to do, they do something different. That’s exactly what happened to us Saturday morning in the duck ponds. John had a few guys from work out to hunt, so he really wanted to get them some shooting. With 2 other groups of hunters going out into the ponds, we had enough people to keep ducks moving (or so we thought), and that no one pond would be much better/worse than the others.

It was a rainy, foggy morning, and actually pretty warm. By the time decoys were put out and everyone got to their blinds, layers were quickly being shed. Our group was split between a blind and a little bank that splits 2 ponds, and we hunkered down and waited for legal shooting time. About 30 minutes in, we heard the other 2 groups getting a fair amount of shooting, but only a handful of ducks were spotted where we were, with no real opportunities for making shots. {PS – if you see a shoveler with missing tail feathers flying around…}. By 9:30 or so, there were quite a few ducks down in the other ponds, and we figured it was time to call the hunt. Nothing had really flown in a little while, and everyone was getting pretty hungry. After heading back to the trucks, everyone began piling their ducks up on the tailgate. Yowzers! Despite the lack of activity where we were, it really ended up being a great hunt over all. Teal, gadwall, blue bills, wood ducks, a ruddy duck or two, and a really nice red head – not bad, huh?

I swear I think that overall success makes up for a slow morning. I love seeing how excited everyone is to show off their loot when they get back to the trucks, retelling the stories about a great shot they made, or how they finally shot their first red head/blue bill, etc. Even though I only pulled the trigger once, the smiles and excitement make it worth getting out there. That’s why they call it hunting, right?